Santa Maria considering minor league baseball team

The city of Santa Maria is considering bringing a professional baseball team to town. It would be an independent minor league team.

Baseball legends played in Santa Maria. The “Wizard of Oz,” Ozzie Smith played a couple games for the Santa Maria Indians before he was drafted.

That was many years ago. The Santa Maria Indians are now the North County Indians based out of Templeton and an investment group wants to use Elk’s Field for an independent minor league team.

The group told a city official it would like to start playing on the field next year.

Former major leaguer and Santa Maria Valley native Bryn Smith said any kind of baseball in town is good baseball.

“Independent baseball is still an opportunity. It’s a possibility for some young man to be seen or again to have a quality year or a very good year or to rise to the top out of that organization to possibly get a second chance at playing major league baseball,” said Smith.

Smith is the pitching coach for the Santa Maria Packers, a local collegiate team. He said his only concern is who the team will play, stating the Santa Barbara Foresters and the San Luis Obispo Blues might be their only local options.

The Recreation and Parks Department will conduct a public hearing on this matter at 4 p.m. on June 11 at City Hall. They would like your feedback, positive or negative.

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